


Finding One-Another

by VibeyCisco



Category: Glee, The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Barry Allen Needs a Hug, Barry Allen and Sebastian Smythe are Twins, Barry is a Dork, Caring Sebastian, Glee Club - Freeform, Poor Barry, Protective Sebastian Smythe, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 03:12:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15986402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VibeyCisco/pseuds/VibeyCisco
Summary: Henry and Nora Allen had twins on the night of March 14, 1989. But by the time they woke up from the night, they only had one: Bartholomew Henry Allen. Follow as only child (or so he assumed) Barry Allen meets and finds his long lost brother, Sebastian Smythe, by attending the same high school: Dalton Academy.





	1. "Who Are You?"

Henry looked over to Nora. She looked exhausted. At had only been an hour since she had given birth to twins. It was almost midnight. “Honey, I think you should get some rest. The nurse will make sure our babies are okay.”

“I don’t know, I think I should wait.”

“Don’t worry, they’ll both be here in the morning. Just at least take a nap. You’ve been in this hospital room for over a day without any sleep. And you just gave labor.”

“Fine. But only for an hour.”

“Deal.”

Nora buried herself into her pillow, falling asleep instantly. Henry fell asleep a little after.

A few hours later, Henry woke up. Nora was still asleep, and he didn’t want to wake her. She really needed the sleep. The nurse entered the room, a sad look on her face. 

“Dr. Allen? Could I talk to you for a second?” Henry nodded and got up from his chair by his wife, following the nurse outside of the room.

“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

“Why? What happened are my kids okay?”

“Well, Barry is, but Sebastian, he…” she trailed off.

“He what? What happened to my son?”

“He’s been stolen.”

PRESENT DAY

“I promise I will call anytime I have the chance.” Barry said. He was currently at the entrance of his new high school in Westerville, Ohio; Dalton Academy. His foster dad and sister standing in front of him with Barry’s bags at their feet. 

“You better! Or I will personally fly down here and beat you up myself!” Iris said. Barry, Iris, and Joe lived in Central City, a few hundred miles away from here. Because of an incident in Barry’s past, bullies were always picking on him and beating him up. It didn’t help either that he was the smartest kid in school, and had already taken high school classes in middle school.

Luckily, Middle school was over a couple years ago, and he is about to move onto his junior year, where he is taking college classes. He would have finished high school in Central City like Iris, but the bullying was beginning to become too much. Just a few months ago Barry was put into the hospital by the bulles. He remembers it like it was yesterday.

FLASHBACK

“Hey, Allen!” Tony Woodward pushed Barry face first into his locker, causing his nose to bleed out. “Mind helping me with my homework? I’ve got an F in math, and if I don’t get my grades up by the end of the semester my mom is going to kill me. You wouldn’t want that now would you?”

Barry just pulled himself from the ground and straightened out his clothes. He pulled his head up to look at the bully, three other buys by his side now.

“Would you, Allen?” He repeated.

“Yeah, I would like that very much actually.” Barry may be smart enough to know that he shouldn’t have said that, but he couldn’t let Tony win. If Barry was known for something, it was that he would fight for what’s right, no matter what it takes.

“Oh really?” Tony asked, lifting the scrawny off the floor. But before Barry could say anything, he was thrown against the wall. Barry groaned as he once again pulled himself from the floor. But this time his bully defense mode came in. Fight or flight? Of course, Barry was not a strong fighter. Especially against four of the strongest kids in school.

So naturally, he took flight. He ran as far as he cold, outside of the school ground and onto the sidewalk. He may not be strong, but he was fast. He turned around to see the four boys gaining on him.

He turned into an alley, but stopped instantly when he noticed no way out. Barry turned around to see the boys stop right in front of him. “Well, well, well, looks like there’s nowhere else to run.”

The boys circled around Barry, punching him until he fell to the floor. “This is what you get for being a freak!” Tony kicked him hard in the gut, forcing him to the ground. 

The four kids continued to kick and punch Barry until Barry was unconscious, blood spurting from his body.

A couple hours later a man strolled into the alleyway to dump his trash in the dumpster. After depositing his trash he noticed a lump farther into the alley. He walked towards it, skeptical at first. But once he noticed what is way, he ran towards it. A body. He put two fingers against the boy’s neck and thanked the lord when he felt a pulse.

He pulled out his phone and called 911, giving him an address and telling them to hurry.

PRESENT DAY

“Well, I better get in there and find my dorm.”

“I can give you a hand with your bags.” Iris offers.

“No, I’m okay. Have a good drive home.”

“If you’re sure. We’re only a couple hours away, so if you ever need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.” Joe said.

“And make sure you call!” Iris added.

“I will.” Barry gave each of them another hug, a wave goodbye, and walked into the building, his bags in his hands.

The front office was near the entrance hall. There were many tables, each labeled by letters of last names. Barry walked to the first table. The line took ten minutes, but it felt like forever. Barry was nervous, he didn’t want to be known as the nerdy kid with a father that was in prison for killing his mother. The nerdy part didn’t really bother him though. That was really him. That was who he was. But his father killing his mother; that was a lie.

“Mr. Smythe? What are you doing in this line? You should be in the third line with the S’s.” The woman said at the front desk. 

“What?” Barry asked, shaking himself away from his thoughts. “Oh, you must be mistaking me for someone else. My name Is Barry, Barry Allen.”

The woman shuffled through her papers for a second before pulling on out. “Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Allen, I guess I was thinking of someone else. You look a lot like him.” She handed Barry the paper that she had pulled out. “Here are your classes, and your dorm room. School starts next week, and the activities and club board is down the hall. This is the week to join anything you can! Trust me, it will make your experience here at Dalton a lot better!”

“Thank you!” Barry said. He walked down the hall away from the crowds and looked at his schedule. His core classes consisted of all college classes and his electives, which included a class for forensic sciences an extra AP chemistry class, because he could never have too many science classes.

Also on the paper was his dorm room; room 128. He looked at the map that was next to the activities board and saw that it was on the first floor next to the science classrooms. At least he wouldn’t have to walk long seeing as though half of his classes involve them. All the way on the other side of the building was the choir room, and the rest of the floor was filled with dorm rooms. 

Barry headed down the stairs to the bottom level, the entrance hall was on the second floor, but he was caught off guard when a man tackled him, sending them both and his bags down the remaining few stairs. “Sebbyyyy!” The man yelled, finding him sprawled on the floor and hugging him. “I haven’t seen you all summer! How have you been man?” 

Barry pushed the man off of him and stood up, brushing his clothes off. “I don’t know who you think I am, but I’m not him. I don’t know who you are. I’m new here.”

“Stop joking Seb, it won’t work on me! I know you too well, I’m your best friend!” The man said, then he saw the schedule on the floor and picked it up.

“Seriously, I don’t know who you are. My name is Barry Allen!”

“I told you Seb, you can’t convince me.” Then he looked at the schedule in his hand. “Man, why do you have so much science classes? You suck at science. Did you somehow magically become a science nerd over the summer? Oh, I get it,” he turned the paper and pointed on the name at the top. “Bartholomew Henry Allen. You made a fake schedule to try to prank some new freshmen or something.”

“No, I’m not! That is my real name! I’m sorry that you think I am someone else than I really am, but I need to go and unpack.” Barry snatched the paper from the man’s hands and grabbed his bags, slinging half of them on his shoulders and the others in his hand, shoving the schedule between his teeth.

“Here, let me help you with one of those bags. My dorm is just a few rooms down the hall. We Warblers usually get the same floor as the choir room so we can get to and from rehearsals faster. But already know that of course, Seb.”

Barry reluctantly handed the bag from his left hand and replaced it with the paper. “Thanks. But I really am not him. Trust me, I have no idea who you are talking about.”

“Okay, whatever you say.” They stopped in front of the door of the room. “Here, I got it.” The man twisted the door open. But to his surprise, someone was already in the room.

“Hey Thad! How’s it going?” The man in the room asked. “Are you my roommate again this year?”

“No,” Barry said, setting his bags down outside the door and walking in. “I am.” He held out his hand. “Barry Allen. I’m new here.”

“Sebastian Smythe.” His roommate said, taking and shaking his hand.

“What the hell is going on?” Thad asked


	2. "My Twin Brother"

“What do you mean?” Barry asked, turning his attention from his roommate to Thad.Sebastian turned too, standing beside each other both looking at Thad with the same confused face. 

“I mean that you guys look exactly alike. Like freaky clones or something.”

“What do you mean we look alike?” Sebastian asked, turning back to Barry, “We don’t look anything alike.”

Barry shook his head in agreement, looking over Sebastian once again. 

“No, seriously. It’s starting to freak me out.” Thad said, pushing them into the bathroom, where a mirror was. “Look for yourself!”

Both the boys looked up at the mirror at the same time. “Holy crap.” They said in unison.

“Right? This is super creepy! Bas, why didn’t you tell me you had a twin?!”

“Because I don’t have one.” He said, not taking his eyes off the reflections of the two. 

“Well, scientifically speaking, if you were to look at a person or clone who looked exactly like you, you wouldn’t be able to tell. It’s crazy, I know, but you never truly know what you look or sound like, no matter how many times you look at yourself you in a mirror or hear your voice come out of your mouth or a recording.” Barry’s face turned bright red when he saw the other two staring at him. “Sorry, I went full on nerd, didn’t I? I tend to do that, and I also tend to ramble on and on, like it seems I will never end-”

“Like you’re doing right now?” Sebastian asked, cutting him off.

“Sorry, a nervous habit.” Barry said. 

“Are you guys seriously not freaked out by the fact that you look EXACTLY the same?”

“Well not exactly, his hair is different. It’s a little shorter and gelled back while mine is a little longer and messy. But other than that, we look pretty similar.” Barry rambled on.

“At least I’m not a nerd like you. I mean, look at you!” Seb said in disgust to Barry.

“Hey! Just because I’m smart, it doesn’t mean you can make fun of me. And technically, seeing as though we look the same, you just made fun of yourself.”

“He’s right Bas. Being smart isn’t a bad thing. Maybe since you’ll be spending so much time with him, he can tutor you. I mean, you almost got kicked out of the warblers last year because of your grades.” Thad smirked while Seb’s face fell.

“They weren’t that bad.”

“Yes, they were! You-”

“What are the warblers?” Barry asked, cutting them off.

“The show choir here at Dalton.” Thad said, turning to Sebastian’s look-a-like. He looked up at the clock above the door. “Oh, speaking of Warblers, I have a meeting with the council! See you later Bas. Barry.” and with that, he left the room.

Barry and Sebastian looked at each other again, gaping. “How is this even possible?” Sebastian asked.

“Well, there is a theory that there is a person out in the world that looks exactly like you. Maybe we just found each other.”

“That could be it. Or maybe my mom had two kids, and you were adopted.”

“No, I look a lot like my mom and grandpa, there’s no way I can be adopted. What about you? If I look like them, and you look like me, maybe my mom had another child and never told me?”

“There’s no way! My parents would have told me if I was adopted!”

“How else can you explain this? A huge coincidence?” Barry thought for a moment, and then asked the obvious question that could solve it all. “When’s your birthday?”

“March 14, 1989. What about you?”

“March 14, 1989.”

Suddenly, a bell burst through the comms.

“Why are the bells going off? I thought that classes don’t start until next week.” Barry said.

“Yeah, but clubs and groups still do. I’ve got to go, Warbler practice, but I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, it nice meeting you!” Barry smiled, opening the door for him.

“Whatever, nerd.”

And with that, Sebastian was off, leaving Barry alone is his new dorm room. He took that free time to unpack his bags, taking the right side of the room since Sebastian had taken the left already. The bathroom entrance was right next to the end of his bed, so he got less wall space, but he was still able to put all of his pictures up on the wall above his bed. 

The first few were pictures of him and Iris through the ages, even before he lived with Joe. Another was him, Iris, and Joe when they were in the park. Joe was teaching Barry self defense, and him and Iris still had their boxing gloves on, hanging on Joe’s sides while he had a passerby take the picture. That was the day Barry learned his fight or flight technique for bullying. He put up the rest of the photos, Allen family pictures. He pulled out a picture of just Henry and Nora, Henry holding his mother’s pregnant belly with one hand, while his other hand was in a peace sign.

But now, Barry is starting to think that maybe he wasn’t doing a peace sign at all. The reason he was holding out two fingers was because they were having two kids. He wished more than anything that he could call his mom or dad and ask them, but he knew he couldn’t. So instead, he put the picture on his wall, standing back to look at his work. Almost the whole wall was full. He used the empty spaces to put up his science posters, then went over to his desk and unloaded all of his cool science trinkets like his DNA and atom models. 

His whole half of the dorm looked just like his room back at home. He sat down on his bed, pulling his laptop out from the door under his bed where he stored it. He was about to skype Iris when he heard the bell go off. That must mean that it’s dinner time.

He stashed his laptop away and wandered out of his room, in search of the dining hall. It only took a few minutes because all he did was follow his fellow students. After waiting in line, and getting his food, (tonight’s dinner was chicken tacos) he looked around the room for a place to sit. He stood there for a minute until he felt a hand on his shoulder, startling him. 

He turned to see Thad standing behind him. “Hey Barry, looking for a place to sit?”

“What? Oh, yeah.” Barry stammered.

Thad laughed at his nervousness and steered Barry by the shoulder to a table full of boys. “Hey Warblers, meet Barry-”

“My twin brother.” Sebastian finished for him.

“Wait really? You have a brother?” Trent asked.

“You never told me you had a twin!” Jeff said.

“Holy crap! He looks just like you!” acquired Nick.

Thad pushed Barry down onto the bench and sat down himself.

“So Barry, why haven’t we seen you around before?” Nick asked.

“Oh, I live in Central CIty.” Barry said.

“I thought you lived in Westerville, Seb.”

“I do.”

“Oh.” Jeff said, assuming it must have been a divorce situation. “So why attend Dalton?”

Everyone turned to Barry. He put his head down, fidgeting with his fingers. He didn’t want everyone to know just how big of a wimp he was.

“Can’t you guys see that he’s uncomfortable?” Sebastian said. “It doesn’t matter why he is here. He is here. And that’s that.”

“Wow,” Trent said, “protective brother much? I guess I know who is the oldest.”

“We actually don’t know who is older.” Sebastian said.

“I guess it’s about time we found out. What time were you born?”

“10:46 pm. What about you, Barry?”  
Barry still had his head down, and Seb noticed that small tears were streaming down his face. He put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Hey, are you okay?”

“Barry’s eyes met his, and a quiet sob came out only loud enough for Sebastian to hear.”

“Hey, it’s okay, let’s just go back to the dorm.”

Sebastian stood up, pulling Barry up with him. He wrapped his arms over his shoulders, trying to comfort him. As they walked away, Sebastian turned to the boys, mouthing ‘This is your fault!’ Then they walked out of the room.

“What the heck just happened?” Trent asked.

“Was Sebastian just nice?!” Jeff asked.

“Wait guys,” Nick said, catching all of their attention. “We need another member for the Warblers this year, and since Sebastian is the best singer we have, do you think that maybe Barry has the same voice? Imagine their duets they could sing together! It would be amazing!”

 

Once Sebastian and Barry reached their dorm, Sebastian instantly sat Barry down on his bed. “Thanks for getting me out of there.” Barry whispered, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.

“Yeah, of course. “ Sebastian looked up at the pictures hanging against the wall, “Wow, you’re a family man, aren’t you? I never get to see mine. My dad is a lawyer, so he is always off doing cases, and my mother owns a famous boutique in Paris. I pretty much spend all my vacations home alone or at my dorm. What are your parents like?”

“When I was eleven my mother was murdered. It was late, the sound woke me up. I came downstairs, and I saw what looked like a ball of lightning. Inside the lightning, there was a man. He killed my mom. They arrested my dad. He’s still sitting in iron heights for her murder. Everyone; the cops, the shrinks, they all told what I had seen wasn’t possible. But I know what I saw.” More tears streamed down Barry’s face. Sebastian sat down by him, rubbing circles into his back. 

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. That’s why I went to live with Iris and Joe.” Barry said, pulling a West family photo down and handing it to Sebastian. “Iris was my best friend, and Joe was the lead detective when the murder happened. He took me in for the night, and they were going to get me set up for foster care. But Joe fought for me, saying that I needed someone that I knew and was comfortable with while I was coping. So I wouldn’t be alone. I’ve lived with them since.”

Sebastian put the photo back on it’s tack on the wall. “I wish I could have been there for you. All I did as a kid was hang out with babysitters. And because my parents were so rich, I could do whatever I wanted and get away with it. I had no discipline. That’s why I am the way I am now.”

“You don’t seem that bad.” Barry sad, the tears stopping.

“Trust me, I am. You’re the only person I have ever told about my life at home. I know I just met you, but I feel like I could tell you anything.”

“Well, we are twins. It has been said that that is the strongest connection there is.” Barry smiled.

“Yeah, well, I’m going to get to bed. Goodnight.” Sebastian said.

“Goodnight Seb.”


	3. "I'm Here for You, Barry"

Barry woke up in the middle of the night with tears in his eyes. Learning that his mom had another kid made him thinking a lot about them. So of course, his old nightmares returned. For two years after his mother’s death he would relive that night every time he slept. Usually he would have Joe or Iris to come in and soothe him, but they were back in Central City, a few hundred miles away from here. The dream was worse this time though. 

FLASHBACK (DREAM)

Barry woke up to a loud sound downstairs. He looked to his fish tank, where the water was hovering over the tank. Once he heard the crashing and screaming, he rushed downstairs. When he was about halfway down when he saw a blur pass over him like yellow and red lightning. When he finished his descent, he saw the lightning circling the living room. In the middle of the room was his mom, sitting on the floor, screaming. And there was something in her arms. Someone. 

It was a boy. A boy with his face. It was Sebastian. He was crying into his mother’s chest, arms wrapped tightly around her. Nora’s arms were wrapped equally as tight around the young boy. She was whispering into his ear, telling him it would be okay, and that he would be safe. And then, all of a sudden, the lightning stopped, revealing a man in a yellow suit. He turned his head to Barry, then pulled a knife off of the nearby counter.

“Noo!” Barry yelled, running towards the man. But by the time he got just one step in, the man was gone. Barry looked down to see his mother and brother, bodies sprawled onto the floor, but still holding each other. They were still alive, but barely. Blood dripped down from their stomachs, onto the floor around them. 

Tears streamed down Barry’s eyes as he fell onto his knees, his legs giving out. “Mom! Seb!” he cried. The two turned their half-lidded eyes to him.  
“Barry!” Seb cried.

“Seb!” Barry repeated. “Please, don’t leave me. I can’t live without you!”

“Barry! I-” And then he was gone. His pupils rolling to the top of his head. Barry cried harder, turning to his mother and seeing that she too had gone.

“Nooo!” Barry screamed. “No!” He shook their bodies, trying to get them to wake up. And then the door barged open, police flooding in.

PRESENT

Barry continued panting, taking very fast breaths. Suddenly, he felt his mattress sink. He turned to see himself sitting right next to him.

“Hey, are you okay?” Sebastian whispered asked worriedly, his voice soft He had bags under his eyes and looked as though he was still half asleep.

“I’m fine. You can go back to bed.” Barry said, rubbing the tears out of his eyes.

“I won’t go back to bed until I know for sure you’re fine.”

“I’m fine, just give me a minute.” That one minute turned into ten. He spent it with Sebastian holding him and rubbing circles into his back. Barry stopped shaking, finally relaxing. He hadn’t even realized he was shaking.

When Sebastian stopped hearing Barry panting and whimpering, he stopped rubbing and patted him on the back. He slowly got up and back to his bed.

“Thanks.” Barry said, resting his head on his pillow once again.

Sebastian just gave him a small smile and laid back down. He turned his lamp off and then he heard Barry speak once again.

“Hey Seb,” he said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Do you think you could, um,”

“Spit it out Barry.”

“Do you think you could come and sleep with me? I mean, Joe or Iris used to do it when I had nightmares when I was little. It’s okay if you don’t want to. You know what, nevermind. I don’t know what I was thinking. I just met you earlier this morning! Let’s just-” He felt his bed sink once more, and then a warm body pressed up next to him.

“Of course I will.”

Barry scooted to the end of his bed, his body lying against the wall. Sebastian got in more comfortable spot, pulling Barry into a small hug and not letting go. Even though they couldn’t see each other, it was still comfortable. 

Barry fell asleep first, cuddled in Sebastian’s arms. His head lying on his shoulder. Sebastian on the other hand couldn’t keep his eyes off of him. It was amazing how they looked exactly the same, but were completely different. Barry was so innocent. And for a kid to go through what he had, it was extraordinary. “I’m here for you Barry,” Sebastian whispered into his sleeping brother’s ear. “I always will be.”

 

Jeff, Thad, Nick, Trent, and the other Warblers were crowded in the choir room, waiting for their last member: their captain. Their meeting was supposed to begin at 10 o’clock. It was now 10:24.

“Where the heck is Sebastian? It’s been like half an hour!” Nick said.

“Maybe we could start without him. He obviously isn’t coming.” Annoyedly said Jeff.

“But he’s never missed a meeting before!” Trent interjected.

“And this is audition day! One of the most important days of the year!” Another Warbler said.

“What if something happened to him?” Thad asked worriedly. This wasn’t like Sebastian. He was always the first one there. Sometimes he’s even an hour early, always in the middle of working on something by the time everyone walks in.

“Guys, nothing probably happened. He probably just slept in.” Trent said.

“Come on, let’s go check his dorm.” Nick said. He and the other three stalked down the hall, Thad leading since he was the only one who knew where the dorm was. They reached the twins’ door within twenty seconds. They were lucky; they had the closest dorm to the choir room.

Jeff knocked on the door, resulting in no reply. He knocked once more, waited a minute, and then sighed. He turned back to the other who were waiting behind him.

“He’s not answering. You guys know Seb. He would never ignore the Warblers. Maybe he is in trouble”

“Are you sure he isn’t in there?” Nick questioned.

“He always answers the door!”

Thad just passed through them and tried the door knob. It was unlocked. Sebastian never left the room without locking the door. He turned to his friends, who gave him a nod. He slowly pushed open the door, and they all walked in. 

The scene in front of them left them gaping.

Sebastian’s side of the room was empty. Instead, they saw two look-alikes cuddled on one small bed. Sebastian lied almost flat, with Barry’s head rested on top of his. Sebastian’s left arm was under Barry and around his shoulder. His other arm was holding Barry’s whole body. Barry’s arms were wrapped completely around him, hands clasping together at Seb’s side. But of course, the guys couldn’t tell which twin was which.

I guess that’s why they’re called twin-sized beds, Jeff thought.

“What the what?” Thad questioned too loudly, startling the two boys. They both shot up, causing Seb to fly off the bed, into Trent. 

“Oh, uh, hey guys!” Sebastian said, pulling himself up and straightening his pajamas. “How’s it going?”

“ ‘How’s it going?!’ You missed our pre-audition Warbler meeting, which, I might add is one of the most important meetings of the whole year! And, um, let’s see, we just walked into your room to find you and your brother cuddling!” Thad said, half shouting.

“Look, I’m sorry I missed the meeting! I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I slept in a little! I missed one meeting! It’s not like you guys haven’t missed one before!”

“Hey! Don’t blame him! It’s my fault he didn’t get any sleep.” Barry chimed, who was still sitting on the bed.

“Is that why we walked in to you guys snuggling into each other?” Nick asked.

Barry didn’t have an answer for that.

“It doesn’t matter why,” Sebastian said. It’s none of their business what Barry has gone and is going through. “Just let me get dressed! We need to be there and ready before all the auditioners arrive!”

The boys nodded. “Okay, meet us in the choir room when you’re done ASAP!” And then they left.

“I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to make you late to your meeting!” Barry said, getting up from the bed.

“It’s fine, Barry.”

“No! It’s not! I seem to mess everything up!”

“Barry! I said it’s fine! Let it go! It wasn’t your fault! It’s just a stupid meeting. Now get dressed.” Sebastian said, pulling his clothes out of his closet.

“Me get dressed? Why?”

“Because, you are going to the Warbler meeting with me.” He then walked into the bathroom, but didn’t close the door the whole way so that the conversation could still continue.

“What? No I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!”

“Why? What would I do there?”

“Audition of course!” 

“No! No way! I don’t sing.”

Sebastian walked out, full in his Dalton Academy uniform, with his hair gelled nicely. “Well, you do now.”

“How do you even know I would be good?”

“You’re my twin brother! Of course you’d be good!”

“Regardless, I’m still not going. I am way too busy with all of my science classes and clubs.”

“You’re going,” he said, throwing one of his extra uniforms into Barry arms. “Now get dressed. And you need to go to the front office after the meeting and get a couple uniforms of your own.” He pushed Barry into the bathroom so he could get changed, but Barry just set the clothes down and walked back out.

“I told you I’m not going!” Barry pouted.

“You look like someone just kicked your puppy. It’s just a club! It’s not a big deal! Now come on! Get dressed! Unless you want to go in your t-shirt and flannel pants you’re already wearing.”

“If it’s not a big deal, then I don’t have to go.” He said.

“Okay, you asked for it.” All of a sudden, Barry was being lifted off of his feet.

“Hey!” Barry yelled. “Put me down!” 

Sebastian swung Barry over his shoulders, a “harumph” sound escaping the young boy.

“Sebastian! Let me down this instant!” Barry ordered.

“Sorry Barr, but I can’t do that.” Sebastian stepped out of their room, closing the door behind him. “This is on you. You could have just come with me. But now you made me carry you.”

“Why do you want me to go so bad anyway?”

The truth was the Sebastian was worried about his brother. After learning all of that stuff that happened to him as a kid, and that nightmare he had last night, he didn’t want to leave him alone. But he couldn’t let him know that. Nobody knows that he’s actually emotional.

“Because I said so. And you’re my little brother, which means I get to tell you what to do.”

“How do you know that you're the older one?”

“Oh please, I’m obviously older. What time were you born?”

“I don't know. Every time I asked my parents I would get two different answers it was always either 10:43 or 10:49. But I guess they could just never remember which one I was.”

“Whatever. I’m still saying I’m older until proven wrong. Now, let’s go.” He started walking down the corridors, towards the choir room. People around them gave them weird looks as they passed.

“Come on, Bas! I really don’t want to go! I’m not even dressed!”

“Well who’s fault is that?” Barry gave an annoyed sigh and started kicking in attempt to get free.

“Ow! Dude, be careful!”

“Put me down.”

“No.”

“Put me down.”

“No.”

“Put me down!”

“Fine!” Sebastian threw Barry onto one of the couches, Barry almost, but not quite, bouncing off of the couch.

“Alright guys, let’s start auditions! Who’s first?” Sebastian asked.

“Ummm, care to explain why you just carried your brother here in his pajamas to a closed audition?” A member asked.

“He’s here to audition!”

“No, I’m not!” Barry said, standing up. He tried to leave, but Seb was still standing at the door. He grabbed his arm and pulled Barry towards him. Putting an arm over his shoulder.

“Yes, he is!”

“I already told you Seb! I’m not auditioning! So let me go!”

“No. Not until you sing.”

“I'm not singing.”

“Yes you are.”

“No I’m not!”

“Guys!” Nick said. “If I could interrupt for a second. Seb, if he doesn't want to audition, you can’t make him.”

“Yes I can. And he will.”

“I already told you! I can’t sing!”

“Yes you can! You just don’t want to!”

“You know Barry,” Thad added. “I know Sebastian. He won’t let you leave until you sing.”

“No! I don’t care of Seb keeps me here forever! I am not singing for you guys! I only ever sing to my shower head and that’s it!”

“Oh come on Barry, just one song.” Jeff said.

“No. I won’t do it.”

All of a sudden, all the Warblers started breaking into song, acapella style. 

Jeff:  
Just a small town girl  
Livin' in a lonely world  
She took the midnight train  
Goin' anywhere  
Just a city boy  
Born and raised in South Detroit  
He took the midnight train  
Goin' anywhere

Sebastian still held tight onto Barry as he sang the next part.

A singer in a smoky room  
The smell of wine and cheap perfume  
For a smile they can share the night  
It goes on and on, and on, and on

 

Thad:  
Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching  
In the night  
Streetlight people  
Livin' just to find emotion  
Hidin' somewhere in the night

Nick:  
Workin' hard to get my fill  
Everybody wants a thrill  
Payin' anything to roll the dice  
Just one more time  
Some will win  
Some will lose  
Some were born to sing the blues  
Oh, the movie never ends  
It goes on and on, and on, and on

Everyone one stared at Barry, waiting for him to sing to sing the next part. Barry shook his head no, but they all surrounded him, waiting for him to sing. He finally relented when the pleading looks on everyone’s faces got sad. He started off singing quietly and nervously, but after a few lines finally gained enough confidence to sing normally.

Strangers waiting  
Up and down the boulevard  
Their shadows searching  
In the night  
Streetlight people  
Livin' just to find emotion  
Hidin' somewhere in the night

Everyone cheered as Barry hit that last line perfectly, then all continued with the last couple verses.

Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people  
Don't stop believin'  
Hold on  
Streetlight people  
Don't stop believin'  
Hold on to that feelin'  
Streetlight people

They all clapped when it was over. Sebastian gave Barry a hug and a clap on the shoulder. “See? I told you it wouldn’t be so bad!”

“Yeah! You have an amazing voice! Now we have two Sebastian’s on the team!” Another warbler said.

“What do you mean on the team? I told you I wasn’t auditioning!” Barry replied.

“You just did.” Thad smiled. “Welcome to the group, Warbler Barry.”


	4. "Something Was Missing"

Barry stared at him stunned while all the other Warblers clapped, some offering small “congratulations” and “Welcome to the teams”. Sebastian walked up to him and gave him a hug. 

“See, I told you you could do it! You were amazing!”

“No.” Barry said finally.

“No? What do you mean ‘no'?”

“I mean I’m not doing it. I already have the mathletes, science club, and the academic decathlon. There’s no room for a glee club.”

“Come on Barry! You can do it! We need you! You have an amazing voice!” Jeff said.

“You don’t need me! Sebby has the exact same voice as me! Anyway, you only have enough room for two people, and there are tons of people who are waiting outside that door to audition!” He opened the door to find a crowd of at at least thirty people waiting outside. They all waved and started asking if it was time, but Barry closed back the door.

“What’s your point? If you’re good, you’re good. And we already decided that you’re in the group. So you’re in the group. That’s final.”

“And what if I don’t want to? What if I just don’t go? I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but I’m not much of a social, gets along with everyone kind of person. Once you get to know me, you guys will leave too. Just like everyone else does.”

“What do you mean leave you?”

“It’s nothing. Nevermind.”

“No, Barry, Obviously it isn’t nothing!” Sebastian said.

“Yes! It is! Just leave it alone!”

“Barry-” But seb was cut off when Barry rushed out of the room, leaving the door open, and all the boys that were waiting outside to storm in, making it impossible for anyone to go after him.

“Well,” Nick said. “I guess it’s time for auditions.”

 

Barry sat down in the library, the only place that really felt right to him. Learning, studying, reading, that’s what he was meant to do. Not singing. He was too busy. At least, that’s what he keeps telling himself. There was a real reason why he didn’t want to sing. Why he hasn’t sung since he was eleven. Not until now.

“Hey! I looked everywhere for you! I should have known you’d be in the library.” Sebastian said, spotting Barry. His brother was sitting on the floor in the corner, hidden by all of the book shelves. 

Barry looked up just in time to see his twin sitting down next to him. 

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. How were auditions?”

“They were great. There were a lot of good singers.” He grabbed his brother’s shoulders and turned them so he was facing him. “But none of them were even as close to as good as you. You were amazing Barr!”

Barry just turned his head down. “You should just pick one of them. At least they want to do it.” Then Barry added, “and I can’t dance. It’s like I have two left feet.” He wiggled his toes, just now noticing that he never put on shoes.

Sebastian smiled at that. Barry could make anyone and everyone smile. “I know there has to be a reason why you won’t sing. You’re really good! So why don’t you tell me the real reason?”

“There is no reason.” He said, but even he was unconvinced. 

“Come on! I’m your brother! I know we just met yesterday, but I feel like I’ve known you for ages. Like you were that reason that I always felt that something was missing. But now I know. It was. Somehow, It’s like I always knew you existed, That a part of was somewhere else.”

Barry had tears slowly falling from his eyes now. He leaned forward and gave his brother a hug. “Me too.” he said. Because that’s all he could say.

“Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?” He asked, slowly pushing Barry off of him until he could see his eyes.

Barry took a sharp, shaky breath and nodded. “When I was young, every Saturday night my mom and I would sit down on the couch with freshly popped popcorn, candy, and sometimes ice cream. It was the one night of the week I would look forward to. We would sit there at 8 o’clock every week. We’d kick dad out, leaving the room dark and us cuddling together. We didn’t watch a weekly show that just aired, or a movie. We’d always watch musicals. It was just something special that we did. We watched almost everyone of them you could name. We’d sit there, singing along, even if there was a large storm happening outside. We’d sing even louder, masking any noises that were happening outside of the musical. It didn’t even matter if we were away from home, in the car, or in a blackout. We would just sing all of the songs. Singing was our special thing that we did together. I loved it. I loved singing. I’d sing everywhere. And then everything happened when I was eleven, and I haven’t sang since then. My foster sister Iris always tried to get me to, and so did Joe. But I couldn’t do it without her thinking of her. Without knowing that I’d never get to see her again.” He took in another shaky breath and wiped his eyes, causing them to turn slightly red. They burned, but he didn’t care.

“Wow. I didn’t think it was that serious. If you don’t want to do the Warblers, I understand. But let me just give you a tip.”

Barry looked back at him, rubbing his eyes again.

“Don’t think of singing as something you’ll never get to do with her again. Think of it as a good thing. Think of it as a reminder. A reminder of all the good times you had. If singing was the thing you did with your mom, then use it as a way to connect with her. Like singing is the way to make it feel as if she is still here. As if she’s still with you. I’m sure your mom would want you to keep singing. If not for you, for her.”

Now the tears were really falling. This time it was Sebastian who initiated the hug. 

“I’ll do it.” Barry whispered into his ear, before falling asleep right into his arms. Sebastian smiled at this. It was a good thing he was catching up on the sleep he had lost. Sebastian slowly stood up, never letting go of Barry, even when he changed the boy’s position in his arms so that he could carry him back to their dorm. If anyone caught him or asked him anything about this, he would deny it.

 

“He’ll do it.” Sebastian said, walking into the choir room where people were still deciding who would be the next Warbler newbie.

“Are you sure?” Thad asked, as all of the other Warblers cheered. “He seemed really against it.”

“Yeah. But he’s a little down right now. I was thinking, maybe later we could…” And then Sebastian explained his plan for making Barry feel better.

“What do you think?” He asked when he was done. 

“Sounds great! When do we start?” Nick asked.

“Now!” Seb said, running out of the room.

 

Barry woke up to the feeling of movement. What was happening? He opened his eyes to see the ceiling. It was moving. Or wait. He was moving. He lifted up his head and turned it to see blonde fluffy hair. On his other side was brown, and so were two others. “Oh, come on!” Barry exclaimed. “Not again!”

The four boys just laughed and continued walking, carrying Barry even though he was now awake.

“What am I being kidnapped for this time?” He asked.

“Oh, you’ll see.” Seb said, he was the person holding his back and right arm.

All of a sudden Barry heard a creaking noise, and the ceiling was replaced with the sky. “Wait, we’re going off campus? But school starts in a few days! We should stay here.” Barry said, trying to kick his way out of the hold he was in, but the boys held tight.

“Don’t worry Barry, we’ll be back by the end of the day.” And then he was being thrown into the back of a bus.

“Seriously? A bus?”

“What?” Nick said. “It’s the only thing that can fit all of us!”

“All of us?”

Suddenly, the bus started shaking. Barry looked up to see all of the Warblers entering. They all waved at him while they sat themselves.

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” Seb smiled. “Now, put on these clothes, unless you want to go out in public in those.” 

Barry looked down to see he was still wearing his pajamas. He flushed as he got up, grabbed the clothes, and walked into the bathroom.

The drive took about two hours. During that, they just spent it bonding. They all played ice breaker games, and got to know each other. Barry especially like Thad. He was a great and funny person. And he was glad to know that Trent was the one that they called baby-faced, because he’s always the one that used to be called it.

Once they get there, Barry is the last one out. He turns to the building, jaw dropping.

“Seb, where are we?” He asks.

“Welcome to Scandals, the only gay bar in Ohio.” He smirks.


	5. "I Need a Wingman"

“A gay bar?”

“Yeah, why not?” 

“Because I’m not gay, Seb!” Barry argued, as the Warblers started walking towards the building, pulling Barry with them.

“Yeah, but nobody in there knows that. Come on, it would be fun. And I need a wingman.”

“It looks like you have tons of other wingmen here. Just let me stay in the car. You don’t need me.”

“No, Barr, you are my wingman. You’re my twin. Who doesn’t like twins?” 

And then they were at the entrance. Sebastian pulled a card and handed it to Barry. On it, was a picture of him, with the name Jonathan Hayes, and the age of 26. Sebastian’s looked the same, but had a different name. Christopher Hayes.

“Seb, why are we named after a journalist and a novelist?”

“Why not?”

“Because, the names are totally unbelievable! There’s no way anyone will believe us! And there is no way I Look like I’m 26. I’m 16 and everyone tells me I look 12!” He whispered to him, as they got closer and closer to the checker at the front. Most of the Warblers were already in, surprisingly. 

“Trust me. It’ll work.”

And he was right. Within two minutes, they were inside the bar, surrounded by men. Sebastian and the others pulled him into the corner of the bar, picking the biggest booth. They also had to pull a couple more tables and chairs to fit everyone, but eventually they all settled down. Sebastian pushed Barry into the booth before him, trapping him in the middle of everyone as they entered from the opposite side. Someone came and gave them all beers, giving skeptical looks at them as he set them down at the front, everyone sliding the beers down until everyone had one.

“So, Barry,” Thad said, “How’s it going? What do you think of Dalton so far?”

“Well, I haven’t really had time to look around yet or make any friends. I’ve been getting ready for the start of school, and working with the mathletes.”

“Of course you have friends! You’re one of us! A Warbler! Which automatically means that you’re friends with all of us.” Nick said, all of other Warblers nodding in agreement. 

“Well, I’m glad. But once you guys get to know me, I promise you won’t be thinking that. I am a HUGE nerd.”

“Really? Me too!” Nick said, followed by Jeff nodding a little too exaggeratedly.

Seb smiled. He knew these guys. He knew that most if them will love Barry. If he’s being honest, all of them would probably like Barry better than himself. He is nice, kind, and all about the best person he has ever met. He hasn't even know him for more than a few days, and he already truly knows him. And the fact that they’ll like Barry more scares him. But it also makes him glad. 

“Alright, how about we get some karaoke started?” Thad asked.

The boys toasted in agreement and went to choosing songs. Thad and Trent went first, singing True Colors. Then Nick and Jeff, to Moves Like Jagger. A few other songs went on, from duets, to quintets, to solos. Until finally everyone had sing except for Barry.

“Come on, Barry! Just one song!” Trent pleaded.

“I am not going up there.”

“What if someone is up there with you?”

“It doesn’t matter! I don’t sing. Especially in front of people.”

“But you sang for us! And it was amazing!” Jeff pointed out.

“Yeah, but that was different. You guys won’t boo me if I sound bad, or judge me if I mess up.”

“Nobody will! Trust me.”

“I don-” But he was unable to finish because he was pulled away from his seat.

Sebastian yanked his arm, and pulled him into the stage, telling the person controlling the music to pick a random song. He let go of Barry in front of a mic, himself going to the one right beside it. Barry gave him a death glare and the music started.

Sebastian gave a huge grin and started singing.

The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came

Sebastian nudged Barry’s shoulder, and they both sang the next verse.

You cast a spell on me, spell on me  
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me  
And I decided you look well on me, well on me  
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me

Sebastian meticulously stopped singing, leaving only Barry. Barry gave him another mean look, but continued.

Turn the lights out now  
Now I'll take you by the hand  
Hand you another drink  
Drink it if you can  
Can you spend a little time,  
Time is slipping away away from us so stay,  
Stay with me I can make,  
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came

Sebastian joined back in, adding a few dance moves, which Barry soon caught onto, and they were both dancing across the stage.

You cast a spell on me, spell on me  
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me  
And I decided you look well on me, well on me  
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me

Turn the lights out now  
Now I'll take you by the hand  
Hand you another drink  
Drink it if you can  
Can you spend a little time,  
Time is slipping away away from us so stay,  
Stay with me I can make,  
Make you glad you came

The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came

I'm glad you came  
So glad you came  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came

The sun goes down  
The stars come out  
And all that counts  
Is here and now  
My universe will never be the same  
I'm glad you came  
I'm glad you came

They both hugged, and then bowed. The crowd roared the loudest they have ever heard in a bar before. It might also help that it’s a gay bar. And they’re twins.

They hugged one more time, and walked back to the table. All of the other Warblers had humongous smiles on their faces. Thad spoke up saying, “I know what we're doing for sectionals.”

Sebastian whooped, and pulled Barry back down with him into the booth. 

“Well, I guess no more singing for us. There’s no way we can follow that show.” Nick said.

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that good!” Barry said, followed by the rest of the table all shaking their heads and disagreeing with him. Even Seb was agreeing with them. 

“Come on Barr! You’ve got to give yourself some credit!” Sebastian said.

“Yeah! You were amazing!” Jeff said, “You too, Seb!”

Sebastian beamed, and then pulled Barry right back up, pulling him towards the bar.

“Come on, Seb! I can walk on my own, you know!”

“Yeah, but if I told you that you were going to pretend to be gay so that you can help me get a guy, would you have actually gotten up?” 

“Seb!” Barry complained, yanking his arm out of his brother’s grasp. “I already told you! I am not going to be your wingman! Especially of it’s with guys! I mean, it’s not like I have a problem with gay people, I love gay people, but I just… I... ugh…”

“Barry,” Seb smirked, “Don't worry… I know what you mean! But come on, everybody loves a pair of twins!”

“Seb…”

“Please! Next time, I'll be your wingman! Please! I need you!”

“I don’t need a wingman!”

“Oh, trust me, you do. Come on! It’ll be fun!”

“Ugghhh, fine! But only because I know you won’t stop bothering me until I do it.”

“YES!” He said happily, “Ok, come one, I saw a pair of really cute boys that way!”

They walked over to a small table, consisting of the two people that Seb mentioned. The two young me looked up, and smiled. 

Sebastian introduced himself to them, shaking each of their hands. He then said, “And this is my twin, Barry.” He patted Barry’s back, signalling him to do something.”

“Oh, yeah, Hi, I’m Barry. But I guess you already knew that.” He let out a nervous chuckle, and scratched the back of his neck with his left hand, meanwhile putting his right hand out to them.

The one closest to him gave a kind smile and looked up at him. His eyes staring directly at his. 

“Hi, I’m Oliver. Oliver Queen.”


	6. "Can I Trust Him Anymore?"

Barry felt as the man, Oliver, grabbed his held out hand and shook it. His grip was strong, but not too strong. It was just perfect. But all too soon, the hand was taken away, leaving his own freezing cold. 

“Uh- Hi!” Barry stuttered out nervously. He looked over to his brother, but he was busy talking to the other boy. 

“Hey, how’s it going?” Oliver asked. 

“Good, I guess. I mean, I was kind of forced to come here, but now I think it may not be that bad.”

“Really? And why is that?” He asked, while a waiter came bye and dropped off drinks.

 

“Oh man!” Nick said, looking at his phone. “It’s already 11! We gotta head out.” They went around the bar, gathering everyone together.

Thad is the one that found the two twins. They were at a tale in the middle of the bar with two other people who seemed to be around the same age as them. 

“Hey guys!” Thad interrupted, “It’s time to go.” He rested his hands on Barry’s shoulders. Oliver’s eyes shot up to him, and then to the hands resting on Barry. His face seemed to fall a bit.

Sebastian turned to him, giving him a smile. “What time is it?” 

“After eleven. We got to go. We start school on Monday. We only have tomorrow to get ready and live off these hangovers.”

“Yeah. Ok. Bye, Tommy” He said to the boy he had been talking to. He then pulled Barry away with him before Barry could say bye to Oliver. He tried to wave back at him, but Sebastian was quick, and they were already outside with the other warblers before he knew what happened. 

 

Barry didn’t remember the bus ride back. Or how he got here. All he knows is that he just woke up in a giant pile of boys in the choir room. He sat up, looking for Sebastian, but before he could do anything, a splitting headache came upon him, and he fell back down, slamming his head down on whoever was lying behind him. 

The man groaned, and pushed Barry off of him, causing him to fall on three others. Almost like dominoes, they all started waking up, rubbing their heads. Some of them running out to go puke somewhere, including Seb. 

“Ughh, Seb,” Nick complained, not noticing that he left, “Why did you convince us to go out last night?”

“Wait,” Barry said, “Seb told you guys to take me out yesterday?”

“Yeah,” Trent groaned, “But it’s not like he told us we had to do it. We wanted to. He told us you were having a hard time. He wanted to cheer you up.” 

“What did he tell you?” He asked, voice kind of shaky. The last thing he had said to Sebastian before they went to the bar was about his mom.

“Just that you had a breakdown and couldn’t stop crying.”

“He told you that?” He couldn’t believe it. He knew he shouldn’t have said anything. Every time he tells someone something personal about his childhood they always make fun of him, and tell people. That’s why he came to this school. To get rid of bullies. Go somewhere where nobody knew anything about his past. He shouldn’t have told Sebastian anything. Even if he was his brother, he barely knew him. 

Barry got up from his spot on the floor, but was stopped from running off by a hand grabbing his wrist. He looked down to see Nick on the floor.

“We don’t care that you had a breakdown, Barry. It happens to all of us. We don’t judge you. We warblers are a family.”

But the kind of family Barry knows does judge him. Joe and Iris might not act like it, but they do. And it’s because of what he saw that night. The man in yellow. They still don’t believe him. And because of that, they think he’s crazy. And now these boys also think he’s crazy. I mean, he had a breakdown because of singing one song.

He looked down at Nick, about to say something, but instead shrugged his hand off and bolted out of the room.

 

“Hey, Where’s Barry? Sebastian asked, walking back into the room. He felt a lot better, but still sick. He didn’t drink too much. He and Barry were too busy talking to the two boys to get drunk.

“I don’t know, man.” Thad said, “He just bolted after we told him that you were the reason that we all went to the bar yesterday.”

“What? Why would you tell him that?”

“We didn’t mean to! It just kinda happened. Why does it matter?”

“What exactly did you tell him?”

“Nothing really. Just that you said we should take him out because he was having a breakdown.”

“Dude! I told you guys that in confidence! Now he knows that I told you guys about that! Geez, he must feel so embarrassed.”

“Why would he be embarrassed by that? It happens to everyone.”

“Because he’s not just anyone!” Sebastian yelled, annoyed. He had to find Barry.

 

He checked everywhere. The library, their dorm, all the bathrooms, the study hall, the cafeteria, but he couldn’t seem to find Barry anywhere. He’d probably been around the whole campus at least four or five times. 

He was about to give up when he heard a voice coming from a supply closet near him. He wouldn’t have heard it if it weren’t so quiet in the halls. He cautiously and slowly twisted the door knob, trying to be as quiet as he could be. 

In the small closet was Barry, sitting with his head in his knees. He was holding a phone to his ear, but he couldn’t hear what was happening on the other side.

“I don’t know what to do. Can I trust him anymore?”

 

Barry didn’t know where he was going, just that he needed to get away from everyone. He couldn’t believe that he trusted Sebastian enough to tell him about his mom. He barely talked to Iris about her. Well, he won’t make that mistake anymore. He can’t believe that they all know about his breakdowns. 

He stopped when he saw a small supply closet. When he tried the knob, he found it was unlocked. He instantly launched himself into the room and closed it behind him. Now that he was finally alone, he let the tears fly. His body slid down the wall as more tear flooded from his eyes.

Without thinking, he unlocked his phone and speed-dialed the only person he thought he could talk to. 

“Iron Heights penitentiary. How may we help you today?  
Click 1 for-”

Barry clicked 3. He’d called so many times that he’d easily memorized the whole monologue.

Hello, you’ve reached the inmate telephones. Who would you like to speak to you today? Please note that you will be charged a fine of $1 for every minute the call lasts.

He typed out the name and waited until the ringing stopped.

Henry Allen. More tears rushed down as he heard the sad voice through the phone. 

“Dad?” Was all he could let out.

“Barry? Is that you? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I just needed to talk to you.”

“What happened?”

“Am I an only child?”

“What? Barry, you’re the only kid I’ve ever raised.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Barry…”

“I can’t believe you never told me! I could have had a brother! What happened? You realised you couldn’t raise two kids so you just gave him away? How could you do that?” He practically yelled.

“Barry, I can explain.” 

“Really? You can explain that I had a brother that I didn’t know about, and you never told me? Do you realise what I have had to go through these last few years? Life sucks. And I’ve had to coast through it alone. Joe and Iris are great, but they don’t get what I’ve had to go through. If Sebastian-” He heard Henry take a sharp breath upon hearing the name, “-had been there, that maybe I wouldn’t have had to go through my life thinking I was alone.”

“Barry, listen to me. Of course we didn’t just give Sebastian away. A couple hours after your births, a nurse came into our room. She had took you two to get cleaned take naps. When she came in, she had this sad look on her face. That was when she told us. Sebastian, he had been taken. Someone must have made it into the room where they kept all the babies and taken him. You’re mother and I cried for days. But, we still had one, beautiful baby boy. And we gave him all of our love, and more. There isn’t a day I don’t wish that I could have been there to stop whoever took him.” 

“Dad, I am so sorry! I- I didn’t know.”

“It’s ok. It’s understandable. But I needed you to know the truth. And I can’t believe you found him!” 

“Yeah, It’s kind of amazing” Barry said, the tears starting to slow down.

“You still don’t sound ok. You didn’t call me to ask about Sebastian, did you? Something happened.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s obviously not nothing, or you wouldn’t have called.”

“It’s just- Seb is in this singing group, and he had made me sing in front of all of them. And you know how difficult singing is for me.”

“Yeah, you and your mother were always singing. I’m sorry you had to do that. I know it’s hard to think of her sometimes.”

“Well, it honestly wasn’t too bad, but then they wanted me to join their group. And I realised that that would mean I would be singing all the time, just like when mom and I would. It just brings back too many memories. I kind of had a bad meltdown afterward, and Seb saw me. But I thought that he wouldn’t tell anyone, since were twins, and that I would be ok. He wouldn’t judge me. He’s my twin. But then he told all of the Warbler, and now they’re going to tell everyone, and then everyone will think I’m a big loser, and the bullying will start again. Just because this school has a no bullying rule, doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. I can’t go through this again. I came to this school to get away from all of it.”

“Barry, I know how hard it is for you to fit in. You’re a smart kid, and yeah, you have a breakdown every once in a while, but it happens to everyone, Bar. Trust me, you’ll be fine. I don’t think the fact that everyone knowing about your breakdowns is the real reason you are so hurt. It’s the fact that Sebastian told people about it”

“I don’t know what to do. Can I trust him anymore?”

“Barry, I don’t think he meant to hurt you. He doesn’t understand how much you get hurt over your family betraying you, even if it’s a small thing like this. I know Joe and Iris not believing what happened that night has made it hard for you to trust and rely on people. But I’m sure if you just talk to him, tell him what’s going on, he’ll understand.”

Just then, he caught a small movement in the corner of his eye. 

“I’ve got to go. Thanks for the talk. I love you. I’ll try to visit you soon.”

“Alright Barry, I love you too.” 

 

He put the phone down, then turned to Sebastian. He rubbed the tears from his eyes and said, “What are you doing here?”

“Barry, I-”

“What? Are you going to tell people about this too?”

“Barry, it’s not like what you’re thinking”

“Oh yeah? Then what was it?”

“I thought that you should get your mind off of things with your mom and stuff, so I told the boys that we should take you out. I didn’t mean to mention that you were having a mental breakdown. I just wanted to take you out. Have some fun.”

“But you still told them. What if they go tell other people? Then it’s all around school how I had a meltdown from singing!”

“Yeah, but it was more than that. It wasn’t just because you sang.”

“So? They don’t know that. And I’m definitely not going to tell them what it was really about. Everything that I just got away from is all coming rushing back.”

“Barry, they won’t tell anyone. You know that. So what is this really about? I know that you know it won’t get around school. Is this because I told them? Because as I said before, it was an accident.”

“It doesn’t matter if it was an accident! How do I know if I can trust you now?”

“Barr, of course you can trust me!”

“You don’t get it, do you! You don’t get how hard it is for me to rely on people. I’ve told you about what happened that night. How nobody believes what happened really did. It makes it so hard to trust people when they all think you’re crazy. And you know what?” He stood up from the ground, and once again wiped the tears from his face, “You probably do too. I can’t believe I even told you anything. Now you think I’m this insane person who makes up men in lighting so that my dad wouldn’t go to prison.”

“Barry, I don’t think you’re crazy. I think that you just-”

“See? You think I made it up! Well you know what? I don’t care. I’m used to it. Everyone in my life leaves me at one point or another. I guess now is that time.” He stormed out of the closet, shoving past his stunned brother.

“Barry, wait!” But he was already gone.


End file.
